Housing advocates say the affordability crisis North Texans are facing did not materialize overnight and that Dallas' housing challenges have been years in the making.
Dallas Housing Coalition executive director Brian Tony and historian Jerry Hawkins say the recently passed bipartisan federal housing package, called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, is an important first step but it's only the beginning of addressing the issue.
"This will take time," Tony said. "We have built ourselves into a big hole in terms of our housing shortage and it's going to take time to build ourselves out of that hole."
Tony and Hawkins partnered with the Dallas Free Press to create the zine, A People's Guide to Dallas Housing History. It outlines how the decades of housing decisions that continue to influence affordability, neighborhood development, and opportunity across the city.
They joined NTX Now's Ron Corning to break down some of the key points in their publication.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity.
Where Dallas' housing problems started
Hawkins traces Dallas' housing history back to the displacement of Native American communities.
"Dallas, like many other American cities, started with the displacement of American Indian/Native American groups," he said. "They had housing here. They would build very sustainable housing."
After Indigenous communities were removed, segregation quickly became embedded in how Dallas developed, according to Hawkins. Segregation laws were written into the city's 1907 charter. That, plus single-family zoning rules and other policies, deliberately separated Black and white residents.
Hawkins also pointed to examples of intentional segregation, like the construction of highways through historically Black neighborhoods such as Deep Ellum. He said eminent Domain was exercised to take over minority business districts that were thriving. Hawkins argues that public policy consistently shaped where people could live, and where wealth could be built.
"The ability for people to own a house to gain equity and to build wealth in this country," he said. "Everyone wasn't allowed to do that."
And that, Hawkins said, is contributing to the widening wealth gap.
The 'missing middle'
Apartments that were rented out for roughly $900/month 15 years ago, now often cost nearly $2,000/month despite little improvement in quality, Tony says.
He said the increase in people moving to Texas has also intensified competition for limited housing options.
At the same time, he says the housing that is being built is primarily large homes and luxury apartment complexes. Missing are the middle-income options Dallas once embraced. Tony calls it ‘the missing middle.'
The Dallas Housing Coalition wants to see more duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and smaller neighborhood-scale housing and Tony hopes upcoming zoning reforms will encourage their return.
Growth also means more greater infrastructure needs and increased cultural diversity.
"The communities who are moving here are more diverse," Tony said. "We have to have different conversations about housing and the culture of housing."
Housing is about community
Walkable communities with nearby businesses once allowed residents to live close to jobs and daily necessities. Today, many workers seeking affordable housing are pushed farther from employment centers, increasing commute times and reducing quality of life.
Tony says future developments should be built around transit corridors, Dallas Area Rapid Transit stations and existing commercial districts.
"We need to have more housing choice and access for people of all incomes, backgrounds, and stages of life," he said.
Housing is also a public health issue
Hawkins cited a recent housing audit showing that a significant number of Black and Hispanic neighborhoods are located next to industrial sites, which create pollution that directly impacts nearby residents' health.
Reimagining Housing for the Next Generation
When the Dallas Housing Coalition launched "A People's Guide to Dallas Housing History," they said the goal was to start a broader conversation about housing policy and inequity.
At a meeting July 23, the organization outlined its range of initiatives which include community conversations, zoning reform events, a documentary, and the coalition's annual Housing Summit.
For Hawkins, he said the work is about future generations.
"All of our work is for the future," he said. "We have to take a more active approach at creating the future we want."
Ron Corning is a host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
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